We arrived back in Belgium on Saturday afternoon after two great weeks in the U.S. It was a whirlwind of activity and fun and we are thankful we could see so many friends and family members. If I'm being honest, before our trip, I was really uncertain about going home. I have grown accustomed to life in Belgium and really like it here. I was afraid I would not like going home...that life would be too different and we wouldn't fit in anymore...and it's easy to wonder if you are even missed. It was to the point where I kind of just wanted to cancel our trip home. I'm not sure why I was having those feelings, but they were very strong. Thankfully, all my fears were pretty much erased as soon as we walked off the plane and were greeted by
Jessi and Jack with "Welcome Home" balloons!
Now that we're back in Belgium, I really don't have many negative things to say about our time at home...except for having to drive everywhere and some of the food. In fact, it was actually really hard for me to want to come home! Talk about a crazy turn around!! I was so blown away by the amount of love we were shown. We fit right back in with our wonderful shepherding group, were embraced by many friends and acquaintances in the church and community, and of course our families did everything they could to spend time with us and help us while we were with us. We also had some friends give us their pack and play and some toys for the boys. We were showered with love! I was sad to leave on Friday and was a little shocked by the slightly negative reaction I had when we got off the plane in Brussels! I still like it here and we have a great community, but it's not quite the same. Not that our friends and church here aren't just as wonderful, but life is just easier in the U.S. It's very familiar and comfortable. I was reminded what I love about living in the U.S. and what we're missing by being so far away. However, like I said in a
previous post, I am certain that we are here for a reason and am determined to make the most of our time in Belgium.
So here is a rundown (with LOTS of pictures) of our first trip home!
Like I said above, when we arrived on Saturday night, we were greeted by Jessi and Jack at the airport. Even though we were exhausted from a long day of traveling, it was great to see them with their "Welcome Home" balloons!
We were lucky enough to get to stay with them in their new house! Of course I got a tour as soon as we walked in the door.
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| Jessi and Jack's new house |
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| Waiting to board the plane to see the grandparents |
We were able to make it to church on Sunday morning to worship with our home church family. I cannot begin to describe how wonderful it was to be at our home church. We were so warmly welcomed and greeted by so many great friends and acquaintances. We enjoyed catching up with many people. Sunday afternoon, I took Cole and the boys to the airport to visit family. I wasn't able to go with them because of an eye appointment for LASIK, but the boys had a great time visiting Nana, Papa, Grandma, and Grandpa. They stayed with family until Wednesday afternoon, so I had a few days to just relax and do whatever I wanted to do!
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| Hanging out with Papa |
While the boys were gone, I slept a lot, visited with friends, had lunch with Jessi, relaxed, and shopped. In fact, I walked around Target for an hour and a half one day! :) It was nice to have some time to myself, but I was very happy to have the boys home! Unfortunately, Cameron got sick one the way back and actually threw up twice on the plane ride. All three boys, along with their carry ons, were covered when they got off the plane! I felt terrible, but Cole was very calm and handled it like a champ!
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| Completely surprised! |
Wednesday evening, we had a get together with our shepherding group. I thought the gathering was just a fun night, but my sister had actually organized a surprise birthday party for me. I turned 30 in September and she thought it was necessary to have a celebration for the big 3-0! Needless to say, I was completely surprised. Even after we walked in the door and every said "Happy Birthday," I still didn't know the party was for me. I kept asking who's birthday it was until I saw the banner that said "Happy Birthday Jenny!" I was very touched by the effort my sister put forth to surprise me and thankful for everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to celebrate and give me cards and presents. Besides Cameron throwing up again during the party, it was a great night!
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| Jessi even got me a cookie cake! |
Thursday afternoon, Cole and I went to the doctor to have my LASIK surgery. I could have used another Ativan to calm me down for the surgery, but everything went great and I can now see 20/20 without any assistance! Since I had to sleep the rest of the day after the surgery, Jessi, Jack and Cole took boys trick or treating. I'm bummed that I missed it, but they had a great time!
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| Walking with Cooper Batman |
Friday and Saturday, Jessi and Jack watched the boys for us so we could attend our first annual shepherding group couples retreat. This retreat was the whole reason that we came home when we did, so we were really looking forward to it! The boys had a great time with Jessi and Jack. Unfortunately, Cameron threw up again and Jessi and Jack were left to deal with all of that!
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| Enjoying a sucker from trick or treat |
My parents arrived Saturday morning and spent some time with Jessi, Jack, and the boys at the park.
Meanwhile, Cole and I had a great time together and enjoyed catching up with our friends!
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| Beautiful view from our room |
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| Breakfast with Nate...always an adventure... |
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| ...and Rachel |
The girls enjoyed hanging out and talking on our breaks while the guys enjoyed football! :)
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| Playing a serious marriage game! |
The picture below was taken not long after we started dating...we look so young!!
15 years later and I still love him dearly!
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| All the guys |
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| The girls |
Every couple from our shepherding group was able to attend the retreat. It was such a blessing to be able to make it back for this and spend some time with each other and our friends.
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| Our whole group! |
We went back to Jessi and Jack's house on Saturday afternoon to spend some time with my parents. They drove nine hours to see us even though they were only able to stay for a short time. My sister Pauline was also able to travel an hour to see us for the afternoon. I'm so thankful that I was able to spend some time with all of them. Of course we had to go get pedicures because all the girls were together. :) It was great!
While we were getting pedicures, the boys did some cleaning up around Jessi and Jack's house.
For dinner, we decided to head downtown to have dinner and enjoy the evening. It was a beautiful night and I was reminded how beautiful the downtown area is.
Sunday, we were able to attend church once again, drive past our old house (which looks just the same), and eat at one of our favorite mexican restaurants before my parents had to leave for home. In the evening, we spent some quality time with the boys at a new airplane themed park!
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| Flying down the runway! |
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| Jumping off the end of the runway |
Our second week home involved visiting with lots of people, hair cuts, hanging out at Jessi and Jack's house, and doctor appointments. We loved being able to spend time with our friends catching up...whether they were able to meet for a playdate, breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, or some other random time, it was wonderful to catch up with so many people. I know that people are busy with life, but I am so grateful to everyone who shared their time with us...even if it was just an hour! We felt very loved and thoroughly enjoyed our time with each and every one of you who made time for us! Here are some pictures of our second week.
Playdate with shepherding group friends: Cameron loved getting to play with some of his old friends!
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| Feeding the horses |
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| Karis giving Harrison a kiss |
The picture below is the last picture I have of Karis (right) and Harrison (left). They have gotten so big! Harrison missed his buddy Drew (middle).
Doctor appointment for Harrison: He is still huge for his age!
Haircuts: Cameron is now a pro, but this was Harrison's first haircut!
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| Harrison's turn! |
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| Can you see the mullet?! |
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| Not so happy anymore... |
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| All done! |
And some other random happenings during the week...
Jessi accompanied us to the airport on Friday. Cameron had to get one last hug in before we left.
We got all checked in and to our gate without incident. Unfortunately, shortly after we arrived at the gate, it was announced that our departure would be delayed by an hour. They boys did a great job hanging out in the airport while we waited for our plane to arrive.
Because we did not have a long layover in D.C., our delayed flight caused us to miss our flight to Brussels. We ran (in vain) from concourse A to concourse D, but missed the flight by four minutes. So instead of leaving for Brussels at 6:00pm, we were rescheduled for a flight that left at 11:00pm. We killed time by eating dinner and riding the trains around the airport.
Thankfully, the flight was pretty empty so we were able to take over two rows of four seats. The boys slept pretty much the whole flight, so we did not have trouble with the change.
These two weeks were a whirlwind! We packed a ton of stuff into our short time at home, but it was worth it! Like I said before, it was hard for me to let go of home to come back to Belgium. This trip created a new and very real tension in my life...tension between wanting to stay in the U.S. and wanting to come "home." Belgium is our "home" for now, but it's not our home. I think it's a good tension to have. It means that we are so abundantly blessed to have such wonderful community in two places...the type of community that makes it hard to leave. I know we are blessed far beyond what we deserve, but I really saw this while we were back in the U.S. Not only were we surrounded by love and support by people back home, we were also surrounded by love and support by people in Belgium. We received several emails from our friends in Belgium checking in to see how we were doing while we were gone. The other thing I realized was that we have changed and people at home have changed, but that doesn't mean we don't still love and care about each other! I was reminded that we have not been forgotten and we have many people walking beside us on this journey.
I was still struggling with being back in Belgium until we went to church last night. I was reminded once again that this is God's plan for us and He has provided so many wonderful people to help us through this journey. I am thankful that we were able to go home to visit, but glad to be back. Even though it was tough to leave Belgium and then tough to come back (confusing, I know), I feel refreshed and ready to continue this journey!
